


I Hate Being Your Partner

by theartofnotwriting



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Olympics RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:49:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1658732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartofnotwriting/pseuds/theartofnotwriting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fourteen times Meryl Davis and Charlie White ended their partnership.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Hate Being Your Partner

They say our partnership is seventeen years long. That we've been partners since 8 and 9 years old. Charlie laughs at that nearly every time, and I can't help but crack a smile. The truth is it's a lie.

"I think we should quit competitive skating," she suggested at the tender age of 18.  
"You do?" he asked breathlessly, to which she simply nodded. "So we aren't partners anymore?"  
"Definitely not partners anymore." Their lips crashed together.  
If there was one lesson their moms taught them from the time they were little that stuck, it was that partners absolutely positively did not have romantic relationships.  
The next morning Charlie woke up alone to his phone flashing. It was a text from Meryl, of course.  
'Get out of bed, you lazy ass,' it read. 'We have practice in an hour.'  
As he read it, another one appeared.  
'Don't even try and sleep late to get out of it. I don't care if you're tired. We're competing next weekend. No excuses.  
P.S. See you soon, partner. I'm bringing lunch!'

2010 came and went with all of the stress and flamboyance of an Olympic year, and they were exhausted as expected, but there were new programs to choreograph and Marina wouldn't listen to any nonsense about a break. ("Gold medals earned," she scolded and Charlie hung his head. "Breaks for silver.") The moment they stepped off the podium in Vancouver, they knew they wanted nothing less than gold next time around. Marina knew it too. So they worked.  
No American dance team had the honor of winning a world title, and though they were prepared for success, it was still a lot of pressure. ("What if I trip?" "I'll kill you and make it look like an accident," Meryl joked nervously.)  
"Worlds next week," she said with forced casualty one day over turkey sandwiches at lunch. They were alone in the locker room, as they found happening more often as Worlds approached. Meryl suspected Marina's involvement in that particular arrangement.  
"Yeah."  
"You're nervous."  
"So are you!"  
They chewed in companionable silence for a few minutes.  
"Charlie, maybe this is too much."  
He looked up at her, surprised. "You want to quit?" A glint in her eye made him put his lunch aside, as she did the same.  
"Yeah. Yeah I think we should. I don't think I want to be your partner anymore."  
Oh, now Charlie understood. Now Charlie understood because Meryl was standing over him and then her lips were on his and his hand was on her back and hers tangled in his hair and he managed to breathe a "thank god I hated being your partner for so long" against her lips before they were too far gone for coherent speech anymore.  
"Long lunch," Marina commented as they got back on the ice. "You know-"  
"Breaks are for silver medalists," Meryl finished, twisting her hair into a bun. "Sorry."  
Charlie grabbed her hand, and they skated away, and he pictured their coach's disapproving glare as they laughed their way through their warm up.  
"What shall we work on first, partner?"

The truth was they broke their partnership off a total of twelve times - no wait, February 17, 2014 made thirteen - over their 17 year long partnership. Thirteen beautiful break-ups and long nights and early mornings. Thirteen times he kissed her goodnight and thirteen times she kissed him goodbye before leaving in the morning while he was still asleep. Thirteen secrets and thirteen beautiful memories. But they laughed off the lies in every interview they gave. Charlie laughed his infectious laugh, and Meryl smiled, and the interviewer congratulated them, and the lights would go off, and they would leave.

"Have you ever considered breaking up your partnership or switching to someone else?"  
Leave it to Erin Andrews to add no variety to her interviews. They were Olympic champions on a dancing reality show now, couldn't you add some flavor, please?  
"We thought about it a few times, actually."  
Charlie. Charlie, what the hell are you doing?  
He looked over at her, and she imagined her carefully controlled interview-smile was a bit askew.  
"But I just could never imagine staying away."  
Erin smiled and breezed through the rest of the interview, Charlie's laugh carrying them along. Afterwards they said their goodbyes to Sharna and Maks ("Tomorrow, we tango! Bright and early, princess!") and departed to get some sleep. After all, having two full time jobs was an exhausting way to live. Charlie pulled her aside before they went their separate ways.  
"Hey Meryl. I was thinking...."  
She knew the way his eyes lit up when he was happy and darkened when he was excited, how he touched his hair repetitively when he was nervous, the way he stuffed his hands in his pockets when he didn't know what to do with them, and how he left sentences unfinished when he was hoping she knew what he was saying when he was too scared to say it.  
She smirked.  
"I agree completely. I never wanted to be your partner anyway."  
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into her room. 

Scratch that, make it fourteen.


End file.
